PROGRESS IN ENGINEERING APPLICATION AND
TECHNOLOGY
e-ISSN: 2773-5303 PEAT
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158
https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/periodicals/index.php/peat
Investigation on the Performance of Solar Panels as Wind
Turbine Blades for Sustainable Power Generation
Muhammad Izhar Nor Zahari1, Lilywati Bakar1*,Farahiyah Mustafa1,
Amirul Syafiq Sadun1
1Department of Electrical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 84600, Pagoh, Johor, MALAYSIA Y
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/peat.2024.05.02.015
Article Info Abstract
Received: 27 June 2024 Over the last decade, the world's population has grown dramatically,
Accepted: 18 July 2024 resulting in a significant increase in energy demand. The depletion of
Available online: 25 November 2024 fossil fuels and environmental issues like global warming necessitate
the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro,
and biomass. The main objectives of this research are to study the
Keywords
efficiency and viability employing solar panels as wind turbine blades in
Renewable energy,Solar panel, Wind achieving high output power and to evaluate the performance in
turbine blades,One entity,DC harnessing wind and solar energy and the continuity to sustainable
electricity, Hybrid. power generation. This project is unique because it combines two
different inputs, wind and sunlight, to produce DC electricity as output
in a single entity. Wind converts kinetic energy into rotational energy,
which is then transferred to a generator via a shaft, generating electrical
energy. Solar panels replace rotating blades with PV cells, which absorb
sun energy, generating electrical charges that react with internal
electrical fields, resulting in electricity flow. This study analyses the
value of voltage and current produced by both sources to ensure the
level of solar efficiency in generating electricity when the turbine
rotates. The analysis shows parallel data between the two even when
the blade is rotating but still has a difference of less or an increase of
0.9V. In conclusion, this project innovatively combines hybrid energy by
designing a small-scale wind turbine. It aims to show that this
technology can be a feasible, environmentally friendly, and cost-
effective solution for the industrial and economic sector.
1. Introduction
Around the world, people have been using wind turbines to create electricity, from modest residential wind
turbines to offshore wind farms. Although solar, biomass, and micro hydropower were Malaysia's main sources
of renewable energy, considerable research had been done on the viability of using wind energy as one of the
sources [1-3]. Furthermore, the northeast monsoon season, which occurs from November to March on the east
coast of Peninsular Malaysia, features wind speeds that can reach up to 15 m/s [4]. In general, the least wind
speed required to rotate the installed wind turbine is 5 m/s, and it will stop at 15 m/s to prevent damage [5].
Due to Malaysia's geological position, only about 10.74% of the country's electricity is generated by renewable
energy sources, specifically hydropower [6].
According to a research, Malaysia has an average wind speed of 1.3 m/s to 2.7 m/s inland and a fluctuation of
3.5 m/s to 4.5 m/s on the coast line, which is regarded low potential wind [7]. Because of this, it is very
unsuitable for horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) but still presents an opportunity for vertical axis wind
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158 150
turbines (VAWT). One of the things that gave rise to the idea of creating this hybrid in one entity project was
when to break the chain of greenhouse gas production by creating a generation system through natural
resources, but during the creation process, it still interferes with the production of oxygen for humans by
destroying the entirety of the current plant life even if it is a small scale to use as a new power plant site. More
simply, it requires the use of a very wide area, especially for hybrids because it must be done in a separate area.
Wind speed in Malaysia varies seasonally and geographically, causing turbines to fail to generate electricity.
Integrating solar energy can address this gap, ensuring optimal use even without turbine rotation.
Objective this project is to develop solar panels as wind turbine blade for power generation and to study the
efficiency and viability employing solar panels as wind turbine blades in achieving high output power.
Perpendicular to that, evaluate the performance in harnessing wind and solar energy and the continuity to
sustainable power generation.
2. Previous Research
Solar energy, wind, falling water, the heat of the earth (geothermal), plant materials (biomass), waves, ocean
currents, temperature differential in the oceans, and tide energy are all renewable resources. All resources
generate power, heat, or mechanical energy by converting them to electricity or motive power [9]. Some
researchers look on country-specific environmental improvement opportunities, such as Xue et al. for China
[10]. investigate geographical disparities, for example, Lenzen et al. examine the energy embodied in wind
turbines in Brazil and Germany [11]. Many evaluate various technologies and application scenarios ranging from
rooftop microgeneration to multimegawatt wind turbines [12,13], and [14]. However, gaps and limitations in the
literature can be identified that offshore is less covered than onshore
A wind turbine, also known as a wind generator, is a device that converts wind energy (a natural and
renewable source) into electricity. VAWTs feature blades that rotate perpendicular to the ground as opposed to
HAWTs, which have blades that revolve parallel to the ground. In comparison to conventional horizontal-axis
wind turbines HAWTs, VAWTs have a number of advantages. Based on the energy produced by the study of the
hybrid wind and solar energy system for the generation of power. The model is a hybrid of a horizontal axis
wind turbine and solar panels, with the wind turbine blades built of PVC pipes and the solar panel tiles installed
alongside the turbine blades it can be used for residential load [15]. According to the studied data produced by
the Domestic Solar-Wind Hybrid Energy System shows a positive result where the energy production between
solar and wind turbine can be generated simultaneously [16]. Fig 1 shows A picture of the constructed hybrid
system.
Fig 1 A picture of the constructed hybrid system
Apart from solar and wind, there are also some studies that prove that hybrids can be used as permanent
electricity generators, namely offshore wind turbines, that the usage of both wind and wave energy is
determined to be an unavoidable trend for the growth of offshore renewable energy in the future. Additionally, it
is determined that integrated systems can provide significantly more dispatchable and predictable electricity in
addition to reducing intermittency and increasing power generation. [17].
3. Methodology
151 Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158
Figure 2 shows the system flow of all the related elements in the wind turbine in a simplified form. This project
is quite unique compared to existing renewable energy tools because it was created to attract two different
inputs, namely wind and sunlight to produce DC electricity as output. The charge controller regulates the voltage
and current from the solar panels and wind turbines to prevent overcharging. Wind turns rotor blades,
converting kinetic energy into rotational energy. This energy is transferred to a generator, generating electrical
energy. Solar panels absorb sun energy, generating electrical charges that move in response to an internal
electrical field.
Fig 2 System block diagram
Fig 3 shows the flowchart that diagrammatic representation working principle process from main input to
output. This system can also be known as a two-way system where it still supplies electricity to the battery even
if only one source is available. Other that, the load is a single output and it is fully dependent on the battery.
Theoretically if the battery cannot store electricity, the load cannot operate and function until one of the main
sources is supplied with natural energy
Fig 3 Project flowchart
4. Project Development
Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158 152
For 3D printing, almost all parts use a very long time for each part, for example for the blade alone it takes 8
hours for 1 blade and it is necessary to print as many as 6 blades. So, the expected time consumption for this
process is more than a week. All designs need meet the correct size and fit the machine used to avoid failure
when printing. The type of filament used is Polylactic Acid PLA 3.75mm. The blade print process is shown in Fig
4.
Fig 4 shows the printing process of blades part
Fig 5 shows that after the printing process of all parts is completed, everything is collected and joined using glue
and screws to strengthen the project structure from shaking through a strong wind. While for the system in the
turbine, the motor is placed in the electronic compartment together with the DC-DC converter, TP4056 and
battery. This is to protect the components from the unpredictable weather. In addition, for the solar panel, it has
been affixed to a part of the wind turbine blade vertically along with the PWM controller charger and battery on
top of the solar blade holder. After everything is put together, the outdoor testing process is started to see the
output and the initial sketch of the place to be destined.
Fig 5 shows that the printing process of all parts is completed
5. Result and Discussions
153 Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158
Each data point is collected simultaneously to observe the combined effect of wind and solar energy, aiming for a
more consistent output. This approach helps evaluate the efficiency and capability of solar panels in generating
electricity when the turbine blades operate at varying levels of functionality. It extends the study of solar panel
sensitivity to light in practical applications for potential industrial implementation.
Similarly, the turbine, though slightly burdened by additional components when solar panels are attached,
demonstrates good functionality even with the increased starting torque required due to the added load. This
additional load may have benefits, as each rotation of the blade involves inertia. Inertia, in physics, refers to an
object's resistance to changes in its state of motion or rest and is directly related to its mass. In rotational
dynamics, the "moment of inertia" describes an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion, depending
on the mass distribution relative to the axis of rotation.
5.1 Actual Prototype
The realization of this study requires the use of practical materials and equipment. For the full setup of this
project, it will make a 12V-310V DC motor with a speed of 1200 rpm as a generator and the solar cell panel
55x60mm to be pasted on the blade as an embodiment of solar blade research. Both sources will be connected to
the charger controller and the energy produced has been stored in the battery. Fig 6 presents the full setup of
the project after all parts are combined and all systems are implemented including solar.
Fig 6 show the project full setup with solar panel
5.2 Location Selection Process
The selection of the destination becomes one of the most important things in the study because the existence of
wind and solar is very limited and not fixed. Therefore, the place chosen is based on the place that has both
sources at a high level. Fig 7 to 12 shows different places tried for data collection.
Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158 154
Fig 7 Located in the middle of block A11 on the 2nd floor in Pagoh residential college
Fig 8 Located in the Muhammad Yassin Mosque parking lot area
Fig 9 Located on the rooftop of the building in block B on the UTHM campus
155 Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158
Fig 10 Located in the middle of block A12 on the 3nd floor in Pagoh residential college
Fig 11 Located in room D of house B205 block A11
Fig 12 Located at the volleyball court inside the UTHM campus
Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158 156
5.3 Data analysis
Table 1 show the production of relatively high voltage values even though the weather changes are very
significant. The production of voltage and current on solar panels is more constant compared to wind turbine
even if they are both run simultaneously. This may happen because of the existence but the wind is very
uncertain if once it passes through the turbine, it will be proven that the power produced by the wind turbine is
higher. In addition, this can also relate or can be hypothesized some other factors for example is the relationship
between wind speed and rotor speed or temperature and irradiance.
Table 1 Hybrid measured data
Wind Turbine Solar Panel
Wind Rotor Voltage Current Irradiance Temperature Voltage Current
Speed Speed (V) (A) (W/m²) (°C) (V) (A)
(m/s) (rpm)
1.8 95.659 9.28 0.536 274 35.0 15.2 0.1
1.1 25.513 2.33 2.121 434 36.9 15.3 0.1
1.5 31.750 2.58 1.929 514 37.1 15.3 0.1
1.4 37.737 5.42 0.921 546 35.9 15.2 0.1
1.0 34.713 3.82 1.258 562 37.5 15.2 0.1
1.9 109.46 11.38 0.430 628 37.4 15.1 0.2
1.8 90.825 7.22 0.672 546 37.4 15.1 0.1
1.8 93.726 8.21 0.602 559 38.3 15.2 0.2
1.0 33.241 2.58 1.932 549 38.5 15.3 0.1
1.6 103.44 11.66 0.418 529 38.4 14.9 0.1
1.6 103.69 13.01 0.372 551 38.1 15.1 0.2
1.8 108.23 14.06 0.351 621 38.5 14.5 0.3
1.4 97.532 10.1 0.489 501 38.5 14.5 0.1
1.1 30.774 3.1 1.599 364 37.4 14.8 0.1
1.7 70.827 5.5 0.895 266 37.4 14.8 0.1
The graph voltage generated by solar and wind turbine in the Fig 3 (a) and graph current generated by solar
and wind turbine in the Fig 3(b) gives an overview of the flow of voltage and current generation from both
sources where the voltage reading produced by the solar panel is more stable than the wind turbine. This proves
that the rotation does not have too much of an effect on the production of electricity from the solar panel
because each value the voltage taken only has a reduction of 0.9 V maximum when the wind turbine generates
14.06 V. In terms of achievements for wind turbines it should not be denied that Malaysia experiences relatively
low average wind speeds. So, from the concept of use for vertical wind turbines, it has been proven the existing
wind is sufficient to generate electricity even though it is not constant but it is still very practical and not
impossible to make it happen.
(a) (b)
157 Progress in Engineering Application and Technology Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024) p. 149-158
Fig 3 Generated (a) voltage and (b) current for hybrid system
6. Conclusion
In this work, it has been proven that the possibility for a solar panel to become a wind turbine blade is very high
because it can still generate electricity even if it moves from the minimum point to the optimal point of the wind
turbine rotation. There can be no doubt that this vertical type wind turbine is capable of generating electricity
even though Malaysia has been marked as a country with a low wind distribution rate, but from this research it
can be confirmed that if Malaysia is able to generate 112W per day then it is not impossible in the country
outside. Finally, for the hybrid system in one entity, this is still new and needs to be implemented in general
because it is economical and cost-saving, however, it still needs to be studied more deeply to get more
productive results so that it can be made into an on-grid system to accommodate more loads.
Acknowledgement
Communication of this research is made possible through monetary assistance from Universiti Tun Hussein
Malaysia and the UTHM Publisher’s Office via Publication Fund E15216.
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